WASHINGTON -- Humbled and fighting for survival, the country's once-mighty automakers went to Congress with new promises to change their ways in return for a bailout as large as $34 billion.

They said they would sell the corporate jets. The CEOs will work for $1 a year (Chrysler boss Bob Nardelli already does). They would cancel executive bonuses and freeze raises. And, the heads of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler pledged to remake their companies by slashing their workforces, making smaller cars and fewer trucks, reducing the number of dealerships and improving fuel efficiency.

The automakers have been asking for billions in loans from the government as part of its massive bailout of the financial system, but lawmakers have questioned whether propping up a deeply troubled industry makes sense.

The stakes, however, are massive: GM and Chrysler said they need cash immediately to last 'til New Year's, and warned they could drag the entire industry down if they fail. Ford was slightly more upbeat, but all three painted dire portraits of shuttered factories and massive job losses.

''There isn't a Plan B,'' said GM Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson.

New sales figures underscored the seriousness of the situation. U.S. light vehicle sales at General Motors and Chrysler plunged more than 40 percent in November, while Ford's sales dropped 31 percent, battered by an economic storm that has sent demand for new vehicles to lows not seen in decades.

Congress will hold hearings Thursday and Friday, and the CEOs of Ford, GM and Chrysler will make the 525-mile road trip from Detroit -- in hybrid cars.

Democratic leaders have said they might call Congress back next week to pass an auto bailout -- but only if the carmakers show they have reasonable plans to stay viable. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., made no commitments but said, ''it is my hope that we would'' pass legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he would try to jump-start debate Monday on an auto-bailout measure.

All three companies' plans envision the government getting a stake in the auto companies that would allow taxpayers to share in future gains if they recover.

The executives are going out of their way to show deference to lawmakers and a willingness to flog themselves for past mistakes. ''We learned a lot from that experience,'' Ford CEO Alan Mulally said. Mulally and GM CEO Rick Wagoner both said they would work for $1 per year -- Wagoner's 2007 compensation was $15.7 million and Mulally's was almost $22.8 million, data firm Equilar reported.

Ford wants a $9 billion line of credit but doesn't expect to tap it. It plans to cut dealers by more than 600 to 3,790 and invest $14 billion over seven years to boost vehicles' fuel efficiency.

The unions were preparing for change as well. United Auto Workers leaders summoned local union leaders from across the country to an emergency meeting Wednesday in Detroit to discuss possible concessions.

GM said it would cut between 20,000 and 30,000 workers by 2012. It would focus on four brands -- Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac -- and cut dealers by 1,750. The auto giant is seeking a $12 billion loan to keep it running, plus a $6 billion line of credit in case market conditions worsen.

It said it planned to repay the loans by 2012 or at least begin repaying them.

Chrysler said it would cut costs by slashing employee benefits -- including suspending its match portion of the 401(k) retirement plan.

It will produce the first full-function electric-drive model in 2010.

Some South Florida GM dealers favored federal assistance for the carmakers.

''If Congress does not do this, there is a definite possibility that at least one of the three [carmakers] will have to [file for] bankruptcy,'' said G. Ed Williamson II, whose company owns a stake in 11 GM franchises in four South Florida locations.

Ted Morse, CEO of Ed Morse Automotive Group in Fort Lauderdale, supported the proposal to reduce Pontiac offerings.

''They have been told for many, many years by dealers that they have too many brands,'' Morse said.

Miami Herald staff writer Patrick Danner contributed to this report.

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